1. The Current Situation

The ICC/ESOMAR International Code of Marketing and Social Research Practice lays down the general professional rules of market, opinion and social research. In a set of supplementary guidelines which have been issued by ESOMAR it is specified how these rules are to be applied to specific research fields, methods or techniques. The main problem of these guidelines is that they are not approved by the members and/or national associations and therefore describe good practice only but do not contain mandatory and enforceable specific requirements which are additional to the general rules of the Code. The need for supplementary guidelines to the ICC/ESOMAR International Code became obvious also by the large number of national guidelines which has been issued in several countries by the national associations. In many cases these national guidelines are not mandatory, too. In addition to this they are quite varying.

2. The Solution

In order to harmonize self-regulation of the research industry worldwide national guidelines have to be made mandatory and corresponding as well. But this goal cannot be achieved by a plain replacement of national guidelines by international ones because the national guidelines reflect the already existing national differences in status and tradition of market, opinion and social research. For that reason the international harmonization of self-regulation by mandatory guidelines is possible only under the so-called principle of subsidiarity which is the way for example the EU is working. That means in concrete: The international associations like EFAMRO and ESOMAR jointly shall develop international guidelines which have to be approved by the national associations in a way which allows special national features to be considered adequately. That means in concrete: The mandatory requirements of the international guidelines have to be implemented into the national systems of self-regulation within a certain period of time. By doing this the national associations are free to meet the single requirements in the most appropriate way and/or to lay down stricter requirements if they feel this to be reasonable. But they are not allowed to weaken the requirements of the international guidelines in the process of implementation.

3. The Role of Associations

Harmonization of self-regulation in market, opinion and social research is a bottom-up as well as a top-down approach. International and national associations have to play complementary roles. Although it is primarily the responsibility of the international associations to develop the international guidelines the national associations have to be included in this process adequately. Otherwise it cannot be expected that they are willing to implement these guidelines into their national systems of self-regulation. The implementation of the international guidelines into the national systems of self-regulation of the research industry is the responsibility of the national trade associations and professional associations as well but the international associations shall inspect whether this has been done properly and in time.